The shamanic belian sentiu rituals of the Benuaq Ohookng, with special attention to the ritual use of plants.

The shamanic belian sentiu rituals of the Benuaq Ohookng, with special attention to the ritual use of plants. Introduction The Dayak Benuaq Ohookng people of East Kalimantan East Kalimantan (Indonesian: Kalimantan Timur abbrv. Kaltim) is Indonesian province on the east of Borneo island. The resource-rich province has two major cities, Samarinda (the capital and a center for timber product) and Balikpapan (a petroleum center with oil believe in adiverse multitude of territorial spirits A belief held by some Christians (generally within Charismatic and Pentecostal traditions) and promoted by Kingdom Now theology, Territorial Spirits are thought to be demons who rule over certain geographical areas in the world. known as wook. Some wook havethe power to remove the soul (juus) thought to reside in a human bodypart or organ. At the same time, they implant disease with the resultthat the affected body part or organ becomes sick. The objective ofBenuaq shamans (pembeliatn), as intermediaries with the spiritual world,is to identify the spirit responsible and negotiate with it during anightly belian sentiu ritual. The particular belian sentiu rituals Idescribe in this paper are performed over four consecutive nights. Theyare exclusively night rituals and involve an exchange in which a carvedironwood ironwood:see hornbeam. ironwoodAny of numerous trees and shrubs, found worldwide, that have exceptionally tough or hard wood useful for timber, fence posts, and tool handles. (Eusideroxylon zwageri Eusideroxylon zwageri (also called Billian or Borneo Ironwood) is a species of plant in the Lauraceae family. It is found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. It is threatened by habitat loss. ) 'exchange soul' (kelakar) istraded with the spirit for the patient's captured soul. To get ridof the disease, the patient additionally smears some of his/her salivaon a carved image (sepatukng silih) representing the illness-causingspirit. Prior to this, the shaman shaman(shä`mən, shā`–, shă`–), religious practitioner in various, generally small-scale societies who is believed to be able to diagnose, cure, and sometimes cause illness because of a special relationship with, or first activates the image. Afterwards,the image is taken to the forest and left there. The shaman may alsoextract the disease from the sick body part by means of a thinlyshredded shred?n.1. A long irregular strip that is cut or torn off.2. A small amount; a particle: not a shred of evidence.tr.v. banana leaf Banana leaf is the leaf of the Banana plant. It is used as a decorative element for auspicious ceremonies in Hindu and Buddhist cultures. It is also used as a plate to serve food in countries like India. (telolo). The disease can also be attached to thecarved image of the spirit or mixed in the blood of a sacrificial sac��ri��fi��cial?adj.Of, relating to, or concerned with a sacrifice: a sacrificial offering.sac animal. In order to find the lost soul of the patient's sick bodypart, the shaman, on the final, fourth night of the ritual, performs adance, then falls into a trance trance(trans) a sleeplike state of altered consciousness marked by heightened focal awareness and reduced peripheral awareness. trancen. . While in trance, he receives a messageinforming him where to catch the missing soul. To discover the soul andcapture it, he uses a bamboo tube filled with boiled rice (tolakngtintikng). The captured soul is then massaged back into the sick bodypart of the patient. To perform a four-night belian sentiu ritual, a great many plantsare essential. These are arranged around an altar (balai sianca jadi)and are used as ritual objects. In addition, both white rice and ricecolored with black, red, yellow, and green dyes play an important rolein both attracting and feeding the spirits. The observations and interviews upon which this paper is based tookplace during seven journeys I made to the Benuaq Ohookng between 1976and 2006. The most intensive period of my study of Benuaq Ohookngshamanism shamanism/sha��man��ism/ (shah��-) (sha��mah-nizm?) a traditional system, occurring in tribal societies, in which certain individuals (shamans) are believed to be gifted with access to an invisible spiritual was from 1976 through 1984. Fundamental beliefs concerning disease and the conditions of curing The Dayak Benuaq Ohookng referred to in this research note inhabitthe longhouse longhouseTraditional communal dwelling of the Iroquois Indians until the 19th century. The longhouse was a rectangular box built out of poles, with doors at each end and saplings stretched over the top to form the roof, the whole structure being covered with bark. villages of Pentat, Lempunah, Muara Nayan, Mancong and theformer Keranau, all situated along the Ohong (Ohookng in their language)River, in the Tanjung lsui area, Kecamatan Jempang, Kutai Barat, EastKalimantan. Each village comprises a longhouse plus additionalsingle-family houses built around it. Culturally and linguistically, the Benuaq Ohookng belong to theLuangan Dayak group (cf. Sillander 1995, Weinstock 1983). In thetraditional beliefs of the Benuaq Ohookng, a living human being has aspirit soul (semangat) and, in addition, seven bodypart souls (juus).Thus, the head has the juus puaq, the abdomen the juus sentunkng, theheart the juus lemposu, the bones the juus tulakng, the flesh the juusissi, and each eye an ilang anak majang. Terrestrial spirits (wook) havethe power to "eat" a juus and at the same time implant adisease in the corresponding body part. Consequently, this part or organbecomes sick. Efforts to cure a disease can succeed only if the diseaseis removed and the missing juus replaced. This is the mission of theshamans, pembeliatn or beliatn, who act as mediums in relation to thewook. During nightly sessions, while performing rites known generally asbelian sentiu (or sentiyu), these mediums identify the wook responsiblefor the illness and present them diverse offerings, including smallcarved images, or 'exchange souls' (kelakar), made ofironwood. If the wook agrees, he takes back the disease. To restore themissing juus to the patient, the beliatn performs a vigorous dance,after which he falls into a trance. In this state, he learns from thewook where to find and catch the juus for re-inserting it into thepatient's body. A belian sentiu ritual may last up to four nights, or more, withvaried activities and increasing amounts of ritual equipment. A one- ortwo-night ritual is accompanied by the sacrifice of a single chicken.For a four-night ritual, two chickens are sacrificed or, possibly, oneor two pigs. For rituals lasting eight nights or more, old skulls withsouls dating from the long-ago time of headhunting headhuntingPractice of removing, displaying, and in some cases preserving human heads. Headhunting arises in some cultures from a belief in the existence of a more or less material soul that resides in the head. may be used as amedium for the wook and for the shaman's protection. The beliatncall these skulls kelelungan merwaaq or kelelungan panyan tuhuq. It isobligatory to wrap them in traditional red cloths called abang. In thecase of an eight-day rite, a buffalo may be sacrificed. To perform a four-night belian sentiu ritual, a great number ofplants and other ritual objects (ramuan) are essential, every one ofwhich has a special function. Many are medicinal plants medicinal plants,plants used as natural medicines. This practice has existed since prehistoric times. There are three ways in which plants have been found useful in medicine. . According to according toprep.1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians.2. In keeping with: according to instructions.3. Gonner (2002:184), up to 59 species of 32 botanic families are used inBenuaq Ohookng shamanistic sha��man��ism?n.1. The animistic religion of certain peoples of northern Asia in which mediation between the visible and spirit worlds is effected by shamans.2. rituals. Altars (balai sianca jadi) and the shaman's protectivemeasures To perform a belian sentiu ritual a rectangular shaped altar orshrine (balai sianca jadi) (see Photo 1) is constructed from potukngwood (Melicope incana, syn. Euodia alba, Rutaceae). (1) This is a typeof wood associated with many wook. The altar furniture includes smallwooden houses for the wook, two antaakng (tempayan, antique Chinesejars, homes for the spirits), a genikng (large antique gong gong,percussion instrument consisting of a disk, usually with upturned edges, 3 ft (91 cm) or more in diameter in the modern orchestra, often made of bronze, and struck with a felt- or leather-covered mallet or drumstick. , also a homefor a spirit), a short ladder, and a specific superstructure superstructure/su��per��struc��ture/ (soo��per-struk?chur) the overlying or visible portion of a structure. su��per��struc��turen.A structure above the surface. . The altaris surrounded by high stalks or branches of the following eightobligatory plant species (eight is an important number in belianrituals): 1. Jelmoq (pisang, banana), Musa paradisiaca L., Musaceae 2. Sepootn (pinang), Areca catechu Areca catechu,n See betel palm. L., Palmae 3. Touq, Costus sp., Zingiberaceae 4. Ukor, Cariota mitis Loureiro, Palmae 5. Biowo, Cordyline fruticosa Cordyline fruticosa (Ti plant, also known as the good luck plant), is an evergreen flowering plant in the family Laxmanniaceae, formerly treated in the family Agavaceae. (L.) A. Chevalier, Liliaceae 6. Teluyatn (ironwood), Eusideroxylon zwageri Teysm. &Binnend., Lauraceae 7. Potukng, Melicope incana T.G.Hartley, Rutaceae, Syn. Euodia albaHook.f. 8. Nancakng, Macaranga triloba (Blume) Muell. Arg., Euphorbiaceae For the two most important of these items, teluyatn (Eusideroxylon)and potukng (Melicope), two specimens of each are present. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] These plant species are related to distinct wook families. Theirwood is always used in ritual performances and is fashioned into ritualobjects. Potukng, rich in alcaloids, is a "spirits'wood." Teluyatn, also called belian, incorporates mystic power andcalls helpful spirits. The beliatn has to be able to lure all the various wook from theforests, fields, trees, and waterside into the room where the ritual isbeing performed so that they may receive the offerings and so becomesupportive. When the altar is beautifully decorated, then the wook willsettle on the branches of the plants or in the small houses. The bowlsand plates containing offerings are crowned with a cone made from youngcoconut leaves. The fringed panels on the side are made of the samematerial. Special fringes and objects intended to attract the spiritsare made of the young leaves of tuak (Aren palm, Arenga pinnata (Wurmb.)Merill.). Ornamental fringes in red and yellow are often made from theyoung leaves of paleh (or palas), a small palm (Licuala sp.), that keepsevil wook away. To get the attention of the spirits, the acting beliatn starts theseance with a sharp whistle produced from the hollowed fang FangBantu-speaking peoples of southern Cameroon, mainland Equatorial Guinea, and northern Gabon. The Fang number about 3.6 million. Under colonial rule they engaged in ivory trading and after World War I in cacao farming. of a sunbear(Helarctos malayanus). To protect himself from malevolent ma��lev��o��lent?adj.1. Having or exhibiting ill will; wishing harm to others; malicious.2. Having an evil or harmful influence: malevolent stars. wook he smearshis neck, chest, and arms with white rice-paste and sprinkles himselfand all of the people in the room with fragrant danum bungaq mayang(danum = water and bungaq mayang = the flower of sepootn or the Arecacatechu). For sprinkling, he uses a small twig TWIG - Tree-Walking Instruction Generator.A code generator language. ML-Twig is an SML/NJ variant.["Twig Language Manual", S.W.K. Tijang, CS TR 120, Bell Labs, 1986]. of ngeraseh (basil,Ocimum basilicum Ocimum basilicum,n See basil. L., Caesalpiniaceae). This "holy water"ritual seems, to my mind, to be part of an ancient Hindu heritagederiving from the Mulawarman Kingdom, which existed in this area beforethe arrival of Islam and produced the first stone inscriptions inSanskrit with Pallava letters in about 400 AD. This assumption may alsoapply to the use of incense incense,perfume diffused by the burning of aromatic gums or spices. Incense was used in ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome and is mentioned in the Old and the New Testaments. It is also found in the major religions of Asia. at the beginning of the ritual. Small piecesof tuber tuber,enlarged tip of a rhizome (underground stem) that stores food. Although much modified in structure, the tuber contains all the usual stem parts—bark, wood, pith, nodes, and internodes. root from the luaq or luwee plant, (Dianella ensifolia (L.)DC., Liliaceae), which contains an insecticide insecticideAny of a large group of substances used to kill insects. Such substances are mainly used to control pests that infest cultivated plants and crops or to eliminate disease-carrying insects in specific areas. , are heated in a smallpan over glowing charcoal. Also, resin incense can be used. Finally, thebeliatn throws wajiq (yellow sacred rice) over his shoulder in thedirection of the entrance three times. This ritual calls the rice spiritlolakng luikng (lolakng means 'beautiful woman'). This femalespirit, which seems also to be of Hindu origin, transmits the messagesbetween the beliatn and his helpers, the mulukng spirits. The yellow dyefor the rice is kunyit, extracted from the rhizome rhizome(rī`zōm)or rootstock,fleshy, creeping underground stem by means of which certain plants propagate themselves. Buds that form at the joints produce new shoots. of Curcuma longa Curcuma longa,n See turmeric. (L.,Zingiberaceae). Yellow dye may also be extracted from siraakng (Codiaeumvariegatum (L.) BI., Euphorbiaceae). [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The most effective defense weapon employed by the beliatn againstdangerous wook, however, is his 'leaf sword,' or biowo. Thisis made from a leaf of the Cordyline fruticosa (L.) (A. Chevalier,Liliaceae), artfully decorated with cuts and tied with young coconutleaves (Photo 2). The headdress headdress,head covering or decoration, protective or ceremonial, which has been an important part of costume since ancient times. Its style is governed in general by climate, available materials, religion or superstition, and the dictates of fashion. and the cuffs of the beliatn are made ofthe same material. The people cultivate biowo plants in their gardensand fields to keep away evil spirits. Then, in a long song couched in poetic language called the mempaknbeliatn, the beliatn calls all the spirits by name and describes all ofthe offerings prepared for them. Awiir, the shaman's spiritual link to the spirit world With the biowo in his hand, the beliatn dances in acounterclockwise direction around a long white or patterned cloth hungfrom the ceiling or from a beam. At the top of the cloth are hung younginflorescences of the sepootn or pinang palm (Areca catechu L.), as wellas other ornamental palm leaves. This is called the awiir and is themost sacred object used in belian rituals (Photos 1, 2 und 12). It isthe vehicle of the beliatn, linking him to the world of the spirits. Bythis, his semangat can journey upwards into the realm of the spirits.Hidden at the top is a wooden cross within a ring. This symbolizes thecrossroad leading the beliatn to the eight levels of the sky where thespirits live in their various villages. One after another, all of the offerings are placed beneath or atthe foot of the awiir, as the beliatn presents them while singing to thespirits. This is also the place where the beliatn strives to learn theidentity of the wook responsible for the disease (Photo 3). To help himachieve this, Beliatn Daman, shown in Photo 3, uses small potscontaining bees' wax torches, a small mirror, rice, and twigs ofsiraakng (Codiaeum variegatum), whose green leaves are spotted withyellow marks that look like yellow sacred rice. This medicinal plant,which is also known to the Benuaq Ohookng as pohon jatus pengerunu, hasa magical significance. Because of its capacity for vegetativepropagation vegetative propagation,the ability of plants to reproduce without sexual reproduction, by producing new plants from existing vegetative structures. Some plants, such as the Canada thistle and most bamboos, send out long underground stems that produce new plants, , it is considered immortal. Often it is planted on graves.Even after all other signs of the grave have vanished, Codiaeum willstill be seen growing there to mark the spot. All performances of the beliatn are accompanied by the music ofgimar drums, large genikng gongs, and six small kentangan or sarongongs, which play the melody. Rhythm and melody vary according to theactions of the beliatn. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Food offerings and exchange souls for the spirit The most alluring food presented to the wook is boiled white riceand boiled rice colored black, red, yellow, and green with dyes. This"five-colored rice" fills dozens of hanging and standingplatforms. Black dye is extracted from the leaves of sopaakng piaq(Leguminosa Archidendron sp.). Red dye comes from the fruits of gelinapm(also gilinggam) (Bixa orellana L., Bixaceae). Yellow dye comes fromsiraakng (Codiaeum variegatum L., Euphorbiaceae) and kunyit (the root ofCurcuma longa L., Zingiberaceae). Finally, green dye derives from theleaves of puput (Jasminum sambac Aiton, Oleaceae) or from those of biowo(Cordyline fruticosa). [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] Small platforms intended to lure the wook into the house areerected in front of the house. These are constructed of potukng wood andare loaded with five-colored rice (Photo 4). At the center of the platecontaining the colored rice are red petals for decoration. The posts ofthe left platform are pointed like spirit hats. To accommodate the greatnumber of wook, particularly the nyahuq or omen spirits, swing-shapedconstructions (kelenkakng eboq, kelenkakng = swing) with many"sitting boards," one on top of the other, are hung from aceiling beam. On each storey of swings, a banana leaf is set out coveredwith five-colored rice (Photo 5). Some beliatn additionally offer colors in liquid form, particularlyto the juata water spirits (Photo 6). The four glasses of colored not of the white race; - commonly meaning, esp. in the United States, of negro blood, pure or mixed.See also: Color liquidare accompanied by four sepatukng kokooq, dog-like figures carved ofpotukng wood (sepatukng = figure, kokooq = dog). White appears in theform of white rice at the center. The purpose of this set of offeringsis probably to attract the wook from all four points of the compass (Naut.) the thirty-two points of division of the compass card in the mariner's compass; the corresponding points by which the circle of the horizon is supposed to be divided, of which the four marking the directions of east, west, north, and south, are called cardinal points, and .This idea seems also to reflect Hindu influence, as these fourdirections play an important role in Hinduism. The big dog-shaped figure on the left-hand side left-hand siden → izquierdaleft-hand sideleft n → linke Seite fleft-hand siden → lato or depicts a timang(tiger), a spirit that protects the beliatn, which is also carved ofpotukng wood. The figure is carefully dressed with a typically Benuaqikat i��kat?n.1. A craft in which one tie-dyes and weaves yarn to create an intricately designed fabric.2. The fabric so created.[Malay, tying, binding.] fabric ulap doyo woven from the leaf fibers of doyo (Curculigolatifolia Dryander, Amaryllidaceae). A second plate contains thefive-colored rice formed into five heart-shaped figures. Figures thatdepict or attract the wook, or which are occupied by them, must be madeofpotukng wood. Most of these figures have human-like shapes. Other,similar carved figures, which are made of ironwood (teluyatn,Eusideroxylon zwageri), have an entirely different function. These are'exchange souls,' or kelakar. Several of them are generallydisplayed within the altar area (Photo 7 and 8) and each is designatedspirits may cause illness (Collection H. Zahorka). [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] Ruyak are constructions that hold objects for offerings. Theirshape differs for different wook families. If a local or village wook isidentified as responsible for the patient's illness, then objectswill be offered that are valuable to local people; however, in miniatureform (Photo 9). Adorned a��dorn?tr.v. a��dorned, a��dorn��ing, a��dorns1. To lend beauty to: "the pale mimosas that adorned the favorite promenade"Ronald Firbank.2. with split coconut leaves, this ruyak containsan antaakn (tempayan, antique Chinese jar), kentangan (six small gongs),a genikng (large gong) and two cylinder-shaped bellows like those usedby Benuaq blacksmiths. The objects are probably made of lutukng wood(Alstonia as a 'compensation'(ganti), to exchange in returnfor the patient's soul. They are offered on the altar without aspecial ritual. Their length varies; however, their gender is alwaysindicated: males with a loincloth loin��cloth?n.A strip of cloth worn around the loins.loinclothNouna piece of cloth covering only the loinsNoun 1. , females with a skirt. The kelakar canbe considered as a symbolic substitute for a human sacrifice human sacrificeOffering of the life of a human being to a god. In some ancient cultures, the killing of a human being, or the substitution of an animal for a person, was an attempt to commune with the god and to participate in the divine life. , orsimulacrum. Photo 8 shows, from left to right, a male, a female, andanother male kelakar. The far right-hand figure depicts a mulaakngspirit carved of deraya sepatuku wood (Horsfieldia grandis Horsfieldia grandis is a species of plant in the Myristicaceae family. It is found in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. Sourcede Wilde, W.J.J.O. 1998. Horsfieldia grandis. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 21 August 2007. ,Myristicaceae). Mulaakng scholaris (L.) R. Br., Apocynaceae) and bamboo. A banci is a very wicked and powerful wook. To satisfy this spirit(typically imagined as female and depicted in the form of a large woodenstatue with movable arms and legs), a large boat-shaped construction ofpotukng wood, the balai banci, is built in front of the longhouse andfilled with all types of human food and delicacies (Photo 10). The bancialso demands blood. The small construction at the front offers rice tothe mulaakng, a family of forest spirits. [FIGURE 10 OMITTED] Some of the spirits dealt with by the beliatn While the spirits worshipped by animists are characteristicallylocated in, or belong to, individual animals, plants, natural phenomena,and ritual objects (Zahorka 2004: 77-82), the spirits of the Benuaq roamthe natural environment. They are not spirits of individual plants oranimals, but are associated with trees, forests, mountains, swamps,water, fields, and villages. They are thus territorial spirits. Most ofthem are benevolent if rewarded by the beliatn with sufficientofferings. Helpful sky spirits associated in part with (former) headhuntingraids (and so with the color red) are the nayuq. They control thekeeping of adat and are an aid to the beliatn, as are the timang spiritscalled upon during belian sentiu rituals. However, both use sickness topunish people who disregard adat. The mediating friendly rice spirit,lolakng luikng, has already been mentioned. For major and difficulttasks, the beliatn can also call the spirits of the kelelungan merwaaqfor help. A group of generally good spirits, who aid the beliatn, are thetangkai. The helpful mulukng (already mentioned) belong to this group,as do the juata water spirits, the madakng, nyahuq, and tonoi. The juataspirits are associated with the rainbow, with pregnancy and delivery,but they are also responsible for diarrhea and dysentery dysentery(dĭs`əntĕr'ē), inflammation of the intestine characterized by the frequent passage of feces, usually with blood and mucus. . The madakngare mountain spirits that can cause body pain. The nyahuq are associatedwith the omen birds and with puti, the mangris tree (Koompassia excelsa Koompassia excelsa is a species of legume in the Fabaceae family. It is found in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and possibly Thailand. SourceAsian Regional Workshop (Conservation & Sustainable Management of Trees, Viet Nam) 1998. Koompassia excelsa. ,Becc., Taub., Caesalpiniaceae). The nyahuq also lead the souls of thedeceased to the otherworld oth��er��world?n.A world or existence beyond earthly reality.Noun 1. otherworld - an abstract spiritual world beyond earthly reality . The tonoi earth spirits guard the villageand ritual objects like gongs, tempayan, and mandaus. They are not aspowerful as the others, but they are the protective spirits in thevillage, and are associated with the color white. Among the large belontakng images erected in the field on theoccasion of kwangkai funeral rituals, all of which depict a human figurefacing westward, the protecting tonoi spirit is depicted as a snakeembracing the human figure; the juata as a crocodile crocodile,large, carnivorous reptile of the order Crocodilia, found in tropical and subtropical regions. Crocodiles live in swamps or on river banks and catch their prey in the water. They have flattened bodies and tails, short legs, and powerful jaws. or a fish (mostlyon the back of the figure), and the timang as a dog-like tiger (often atthe head or at the feet of the figure). The belontakng statues erectedon the occasion of the great ritual, the guguq tautn, depict a humanfigure, generally as a beliatn, always facing eastward. The kuyakng are tree spirits associated with the color green andwith the waringin tree (nunuq ringin, a strangling fig, Ficus benyaminaL., Moraceae). These spirits can cure, and they can even influence lifeexpectancy Life Expectancy1. The age until which a person is expected to live.2. The remaining number of years an individual is expected to live, based on IRS issued life expectancy tables. , though they also can cause madness. The great varieties of mountain and forest spirits that are calledwook are associated with the color black. They include the mulaakngfamily who can abduct abduct/ab��duct/ (ab-dukt��) to draw away from the median plane, or (the digits) from the axial line of a limb.abdu��cent ab��ductv. a juus if not provided with offerings. This familyis associated with the deraya sepatukng tree (Horsfieldia grandis).Specified as evil are spirits known as the banci, bongai, and tentowoaq.The banci, a powerful female wook, is responsible for many severediseases like malaria and encephalitis encephalitis(ĕnsĕf'əlī`təs), general term used to describe a diffuse inflammation of the brain and spinal cord, usually of viral origin, often transmitted by mosquitoes, in contrast to a bacterial infection of the meninges . There are some notable parallelsbetween the banci and the Bali-Hindu witch Rangda. To pacify pac��i��fy?tr.v. pac��i��fied, pac��i��fy��ing, pac��i��fies1. To ease the anger or agitation of.2. To end war, fighting, or violence in; establish peace in. her, agreat variety of offerings and blood are needed. Bongai and tentowijaqare powerful forest wook that can cause various diseases by abducting ab��duct?tr.v. ab��duct��ed, ab��duct��ing, ab��ducts1. To carry off by force; kidnap.2. Physiology To draw away from the midline of the body or from an adjacent part or limb. human juus. To compel them to return a juus, the blood of a sacrificialanimal is required. Unspecified groups of evil spirits are also known aspapaq or papaiq. Local variations exist. Luring the spirits and diagnosis To determine the cause of a disease ("case history,"anamnesis anamnesis/an��am��ne��sis/ (an?am-ne��sis) [Gr.]1. recollection.2. a patient case history, particularly using the patient's recollections.3. immunologic memory. ) and identify the responsible spirit ("diagnosis"),the beliatn listens to the lengthy reports of the patient's familyconcerning the history of the sickness and about the dreams they haverecently experienced. The beliatn conveys these accounts to the spiritsvia the awiir, generally by holding it in his hand while listening. After this, all of the spirits have to be lured into the room wherethe ritual is being performed. They are supposed to settle within thealtar and on the swing-shaped constructions with the five-colored rice,the kelenkakng eboq. These actions occur during the second and thirdnight of a four-night belian sentiu session. On the second night, toaccommodate all of the spirits entering the room, the last platform infront of the house is connected with a long string of rotan wentonik tothe top of the altar. On the third night a ladder-shaped connection isadded, the tukar wook (tukar = ladder), made of bete tuak (bete = leaf),the leaves of the aren palm (Arengapinnata) (partially visible in Photos1, 11, and 12). When the belian sentiu ritual starts on the third night, a heap oflong branches is piled in front of the house. These serve as homes tothe spirits. The branches are from the eight plant species surroundingthe altar, together with some more, like tae (Canarium sp.,Burseraceae), kelebahuq, (Glochidion obscurum vat. macrocalyx J. J.Smith, Euphorbiaceae), kayutn arakng (Diospyros sp., Ebenaceae) andnunuq ringin (Ficus benjamina The Weeping Fig or Benjamin's Fig (Ficus benjamina, Ficus benjamini) is a species of fig tree, native to south and southeast Asia south to northern Australia. It is the official tree of Bangkok, Thailand. L., Moraceae). [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] Inviting bees' wax torches light and brighten bright��en?tr. & intr.v. bright��ened, bright��en��ing, bright��ensTo make or become bright or brighter.bright the entrance.The beliatn appears in the door taking up a polite, respectful attitude,and sings, demanding that the spirits enter the room (Photo 11). After awhile, the branches are laid down in front of the altar and afterwardson the altar itself. During this time, the beliatn sings and makesinviting gestures (Photo 12). When the spirits have settled on thealtar, the branches are carried out. Now, the room is teeming teem?1?v. teemed, teem��ing, teemsv.intr.1. To be full of things; abound or swarm: A drop of water teems with microorganisms.2. withspirits. Some beliatn use a swing fixed in the open door to lure the spiritsinto entering the room. It is called a kelenkakng wook (kelenkakng =swing) (Photo 13). The fringes of the swing have to be of bete tuak, theleaves of the aren palm (Arengapinnata). During the third night, thediagnosis is established and the spirit causing the disease isidentified. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Ritual prophylaxis prophylaxis(prō'fĭlăk`sĭs), measures designed to prevent the occurrence of disease or its dissemination. Some examples of prophylaxis are immunization against serious diseases such as smallpox or diphtheria; quarantine to confine To avoid spreading the sickness to healthy relatives of thepatient, the beliatn provides prophylactic prophylactic/pro��phy��lac��tic/ (pro?-fi-lak��tik)1. tending to ward off disease; pertaining to prophylaxis.2. an agent that tends to ward off disease.pro��phy��lac��ticn. rituals. Everyone presentgets some white rice paste (and later also blood from the sacrificedanimals) rubbed on their chests, and fragrant "holy water"(danum bungaq mayang) is sprayed over them. The beliatn also keeps his"leaf sword" (biowo) and torches, as well as red and yellowfabrics on hand while singing over their heads in order to protect themfrom evil spirits. The beliatn will also ask the house spirits for help.A tonoi spirit traditionally occupies an inherited Dayak sword (mandau).The beliatn holds the mandau, along with some wax torches, and touchesthe body part that should be protected from the disease by the helpfultonoi (Photo 14). In the particular ritual shown in this photograph, achild of the family sponsoring the ritual was probably sick withencephalitis and, unfortunately, later died. [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] For prophylaxis, family members also have to sit on a throne-likepantiq in front of the house. The beliatn holds a big branch of nunuqringin (Ficus benjamina) over their heads and pours a large quantity of"holy water" over the branches and onto those below. Nunuqringin is the home of the kuyakng tree spirits, who can heal and extenda person's life span, though they also can make people mad. Thesinging beliatn requests that the kuyakng provide a positive influenceon the patient (Photo 15). Blood sacrifice All belian rituals require a blood sacrifice of chickens (piaq) orpigs (uneq) or, on major occasions, even a buffalo. The offerings arethe immaterial semangat and juus of the sacrificed animal, not its body.This offering is directly dedicated to the spirit identified asresponsible for the patient's illness. The spirit responds with ablessing. Before blood-taking, the beliatn explains to the animals whythey are to be slaughtered, and he praises them, and dedicates them viathe awiir to the spirit (see Photo 16). The blood has to be drawn whilethe animal is still alive. It fills several small bowls. The beliatnthen smears the fresh blood on all the plants within the altar area andon all the other objects there. The blood protects from evil spirits andpurifies. After these offerings have been made, the beliatn starts to examineand divine from parts of the sacrificed pig's liver (ate) and itsspleen spleen,soft, purplish-red organ that lies under the diaphragm on the left side of the abdominal cavity. The spleen acts as a filter against foreign organisms that infect the bloodstream, and also filters out old red blood cells from the bloodstream and decomposes (lapikng), as if they were segments of a map. When he discernsspecial patterns, he reads from them messages from the spirit concerningthe success of the ritual, the health of the people participating in it,and future events (Photo 17). In the foreground of the photo, on theleft-hand side of the figure is a telolo. The telolo is half a leaf of abanana plant thinly split and bundled together on one side. The ritual therapy a) Extracting disease with a telolo and returning it to the spiritdepicted as a "spittle spit��tlen.Spit; saliva. image" (sepatukng silih) The telolo is an important instrument used by the beliatn in histherapy. He puts it on the sick body part of the patient and extractsthe disease with it (Photo 18). He then carefully shakes or plucks thedisease from the telolo so that it falls into the blood in the bowl oronto the five-colored rice in the kelenkakng eboq. [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] However, if the illness-causing spirit has already identifieditself and indications from the liver show that it is willing to takethe disease back, then the beliatn attaches the disease directly to theimage that depicts the spirit. This image is called the sepatukng silih,or 'spittle image' (silih = saliva), and is carved frompotukng wood (Melicope incana). The following describes a ritual at which I was present, in whichtwo beliatn identified the powerful tentowajak spirit as the culprit.The spirit's sepatukng silih is shown with a pointed hat (anattribute of dangerous spirits), a face surrounded with red paint, andpainted arms without hands. It is adorned with fragrant basil flowers basil flowerflower representing hatred of the other sex. [Flower Symbolism: Jobes, 184]See : Hatred .The most appalling thing about this image, however, is the painted bagthat hangs around its neck. With this bag, the spirit is supposed tocarry the disease back to its abode One's home; habitation; place of dwelling; or residence. Ordinarily means "domicile." Living place impermanent in character. The place where a person dwells. Residence of a legal voter. Fixed place of residence for the time being. . This peculiar object, kolitsepootn, consists of the bag-shaped first bract bractModified, usually small, leaflike structure often positioned beneath a flower or inflorescence. What are often taken to be the petals of flowers are sometimes bracts—for example, the large, colourful bracts of poinsettias or the showy white or pink bracts of (botanical term:prophyll) borne on the inflorescence inflorescenceCluster of flowers on one or a series of branches, which together make a large showy blossom. Categories depend on the arrangement of flowers on an elongated main axis (peduncle) or on sub-branches from the main axis, and on the timing and position of flowering. of the pinang palm (Areca catechu).To activate the spirit of the spittle image, the beliatn holds itagainst the awiir and sings to it for a long time (Photo 19). [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] After this, the patient smears (or spits) his own saliva on/at thefigure to get rid of the disease. Alternatively, a mother may performthis action using the saliva of her sick child (Photo 20). In addition,the beliatn rubs the telolo with the extracted disease on thespirit's bag to transfer the disease into it (Photo 21). Afterthis, someone carries the image with the disease in the bag into theforest. The Basap Dayak of the Mangkalihat Peninsula do a similar thingusing disease-bearing figures (Zahorka 2002). [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] b) Catching a lost juus with a tolakng tintikng and re-implantingit in the patient's body Tolakng bulaan refers to the bamboo Bambusa vulgaris Noun 1. Bambusa vulgaris - extremely vigorous bamboo having thin-walled culms striped green and yellow; so widely cultivated that native area is uncertaincommon bamboobamboo shoot - edible young shoots of bamboo (Schrader,Graminae) and tintikng describes the boiled rice that is cooked insideit. The use of bamboo is a pre-ceramic technique for boiling food. Thetolakng tintikng is thus a length of bamboo filled with boiled rice andoften decorated with coconut leaves, or blackened black��en?v. black��ened, black��en��ing, black��ensv.tr.1. To make black.2. To sully or defame: a scandal that blackened the mayor's name.3. . It is a highlyimportant instrument of the beliatn because it acts like a magnet todraw back lost souls. During the third night of a four-night beliansentiu session, these objects are fixed below each rung of the ladder,and bundles of them, together with a fried chicken Fried chicken is chicken which is dipped in a breading mixture and then deep fried, pan fried or pressure fried. The breading seals in the juices but also absorbs the fat of the fryer, which is sometimes seen as unhealthy. placed on top ofthem, are held above the head of the patient by the beliat. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] On the fourth night, at the conclusion of a belian sentiu session,the beliatn dances with furious drumming and falls into a trance. Ahelper covers him with a fabric (Photo 22). His trance lasts at leasthalf a minute. While in trance, the spirit reveals to the shaman wherethe soul is hiding. The shaman then jumps up, grasps a tolakng tintikng,and pokes it eagerly at the spot revealed to him (Photo 23). This can bethe branch of a plant or the bottom of a tempayan or one of the smallhouses for the spirits as shown in the photos. Then, from the end of thebamboo stick, he pulls out a tiny thread-shaped soul and on closerexamination recognizes the patient to which it belongs (Photo 24). Then, he massages the soul thoroughly into the patient's sickbody part (Photo 25). After the disease has been extracted with thetelolo and the missing juus has been re-implanted, the patient shouldrecover his health. Sometimes, before re-implanting the juus, the shamanplaces it for a moment inside a small vessel. The following day, after the end of the curing ritual, theheaddress of the beliatn is hung in front of the patient's door toindicate that the house is now pali (taboo) to nonresidents for fourdays (persons, however, may enter through the rear door). [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] Another form of healing ritual, but with much more vigorous dancingand drumming, is the belian bawo, which was last performed in theLempunah longhouse in 1976, on the occasion of a gugu tautn ritual(Photo 26, Beliatn Nuncutn). The historically more recent belian sentiuritual has now replaced it. The belian curing rituals of the Benuaq areshamanistic rites combining elements of mediumship, wandering, andpossession. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Some additional notes The payment received by the beliatn is small; however, he and hishelpers are given the right halves of any pigs sacrificed. The totalexpense of a four-day belian sentiu executed for two families, performedby two beliatn and with two sacrificed pigs in Pentat village in 2006was said to be at least Rp. six million, at the time about USD USDIn currencies, this is the abbreviation for the U.S. Dollar.Notes:The currency market, also known as the Foreign Exchange market, is the largest financial market in the world, with a daily average volume of over US $1 trillion. 660.Except for the cakes, most food offerings, like the fried chickens,cannot be eaten after four days under tropical conditions. After one ritual, Beliatn Ran did something rather profane PROFANE. That which has not been consecrated. By a profane place is understood one which is neither sacred, nor sanctified, nor religious. Dig. 11, 7, 2, 4. Vide Things. , which Iwould like to share here. At the end in the last night, at 3 a.m., thehosts served boiled pig meat and rice as a late dinner for everyonepresent. When 1 got greasy fingers, Beliatn Ran, grinning, offered mehis telolo as a tissue. I used it appropriately and then shook itjokingly over the bowl with the blood sacrifice; all of which drew agreat laugh from the gathering. Benuaq rituals are part of Benuaq Ohookng religion, which they calladat nahaa. The official Indonesian term for this traditional religionis Hindu Kaharingan, but this name is unknown among the Benuaq Ohookng.Yet, several elements of their faith are obviously related to ancientHinduism. For example, their creator and most powerful spirit is Letala,etymologically most probably derived from the highest ancient Hinduauthority, Bathara, and by no means from Islam's Allah. Under thisdeity's spiritual authority, according to the myths of the Benuaq,are a great number of Seniang or Sangiang spirits who are responsiblefor the sun, moon, stars, rain, and winds. They are also the ancestorsof animals and of many wook. On behalf of Letala they watch over humanadat, morals, and taboos. Within this pantheon pantheon(păn`thēŏn', –thēən), term applied originally to a temple to all the gods. ThePantheon at Rome was built by Agrippa in 27 B.C., destroyed, and rebuilt in the 2d cent. by Hadrian. , they exist above thewook. Another evidence of Hindu influence on the belian rituals of theBenuaq is they do not use palm wine or other alcoholic beverages Main article: Alcoholic beverage Fermented beveragesBeer Ale Barleywine Bitter ale incontrast to other tribes in Kalimantan, for example, the Ot Danum(Helbig 1982: 374f) and Tumon Dayaks (Zahorka 2001: 84-102), among whomplenty of tuak is compulsory. Although many Benuaq are now members ofChristian denominations List of Christian denominations (or Denominations self-identified as Christian) ordered by historical and doctrinal relationships. (See also: Christianity; Christian denominations).Some groups are large (e.g. , they still faithfully perform their rituals asa part of their cultural heritage and adat. This is not so, however,with Benuaq who have adopted Islam. Acknowledgements During my seven research journeys to the Benuaq Ohookng(1976-2006), my friendly and knowledgeable informants were the lateKepala Adat Dangud of Tanjung Isui, the late Kepala Adat Bakot ofLempunah and his son-in-law Anatolius Teng. The following pembeliatn,many of them unfortunately now deceased, introduced me to the mysteriesof the belian sentiu rituals: Angkang, Nuncutn, Daman, Moya, Rayat,Sinti, Gerong, Rantio, Iman, Kuno, Acui and Ran, many of them my closefriends. To all of them I am deeply grateful for allowing me to share intheir inherited knowledge and shamanistic interpretations of nature anddisease. For their advice on plant identification, I gratefully acknowledgeDr. Christian Gonner and, from Herbarium herbarium,collection of dried and mounted plant specimens used in systematic botany. To preserve their form and color, plants collected in the field are spread flat in sheets of newsprint and dried, usually in a plant press, between blotters or absorbent paper. Bogoriense, Dr. lng. HarryWiriadinata, Dr. Ing Dr.Doctor.dr.dram. . Yohannes Purwanto, Dr. Johannis P. Mogea, and,last but not least, Ary P. Keim, Ph.D. References Bonoh, Y. 1985 Belian Bawo. Departemen Pendidikan dan KebudayaanKantor Wilayah Propinsi Kalimantan Timor (unpublished). Gonner, C. 1990 Ethnoiogische und Zoologische Auswertung zweierBorneo-reisen. Unpublished report for Studienstiftung des DeutschenVolkes. 2002 A Forest Tribe of Borneo (Benuaq). New Delhi New Delhi(dĕl`ē), city (1991 pop. 294,149), capital of India and of Delhi state, N central India, on the right bank of the Yamuna River. : D.K. Printworld(P) Ltd. Helbig, K. 1982 Eine Durchquerung der Insel Borneo (Kalimantan)nach den Tagebuchern aus dem Jahre 1937. Geographische GesellschaftHamburg. Herrmans, 1. 2004 Representing Unpredictability: An analysis of acuring ritual among the East Kalimantan Luangan. Journal of RitualStudies 18(1): 5061. 2005 Making Tactile tactile/tac��tile/ (tak��til) pertaining to touch. tac��tileadj.1. Perceptible to the sense of touch; tangible.2. Used for feeling.3. : Ganti diri figures and the magic ofconcreteness among the Luangan Dayaks. Borneo Research Bulletin 36:108-138. Hopes, M. 1997 Ilmu--Magic and Divination divination,practice of foreseeing future events or obtaining secret knowledge through communication with divine sources and through omens, oracles, signs, and portents. amongst the Benuaq andTunjung Dayak. Jakarta: Puspa Swarna and Rio Tinto Rio Tinto may refer to: Rio Tinto (Para��ba), in Para��ba State, Brazil. R��o Tinto (river), a river in Spain. Rio Tinto Group, a multinational mining company. Rio Tinto (Gondomar), a civil parish in the municipality of Gondomar, Portugal. Foundation. Massing, A.W. 1982 Where medicine fails: Belian disease preventionand curing rituals among the Lawangan Dayaks of East Kalimantan. BorneoResearch Bulletin 14(2): 56-84. Sillander, K. 1995 Local identity and regional variation: Notes onthe lack of significance of ethnicity among the Luangan and the Bentian.Borneo Research Bulletin 26: 69-95. Susiarti, S. 2005 Indigenous knowledge on the use of medicinalplants by Dayak Benuaq society, West Kutai, East Kalimantan. Journal ofTropical Ethnobiology Vol. II, No. 1 : 52-64. Weinstock, J.A. 1983 Kaharingan and Luangan Dayaks. Religion andIdentity in Central-East Borneo. Ph.D. Dissertation. Cornell University Cornell University,mainly at Ithaca, N.Y.; with land-grant, state, and private support; coeducational; chartered 1865, opened 1868. It was named for Ezra Cornell, who donated $500,000 and a tract of land. With the help of state senator Andrew D. . Zahorka, H. 1979 Tropische Urwaldwildnis Borneo. Hubertus-Post4/1979. Wiesbaden. 1983 Neues von den Kopfjagern auf Borneo--Dreimal Borneo und zuruck(1976, 1978, 1980). Hubertus-post 2/1983. Wiesbaden. 2001 A Tumon Dayak burial ritual (Ayah a��yah?n.A native maid or nursemaid in India.[Hindi y Besar). Borneo ResearchBulletin 32: 84-102. 2002 A Wooden Figure used to take on human diseases--shamanistichealing rituals of the Basap in East Kalimantan. Borneo ResearchBulletin 33: 181-183. 2004 Plant use in spiritual communication with souls by ananimistic an��i��mism?n.1. The belief in the existence of individual spirits that inhabit natural objects and phenomena.2. The belief in the existence of spiritual beings that are separable or separate from bodies.3. community in Siberut, Indonesia. Journal of TropicalEthnobiology Vol. 1, No. 1:77-82. 2008 Ritualpflanzen bei schamanistischen Krankenheilungsritualender Benuaq Dayak in Ost-Kalimantan. Der Palmengarten (in Druck). Herwig Zahorka zahorka@indo.net.id (1) In the spelling of Benuaq Ohookng words used here, /c/corresponds to the English/ch/and/q/ represents a glottal stop glottal stopn.A speech sound produced by a momentary complete closure of the glottis, followed by an explosive release.glottal stopNounPhonetics .